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Darth Taral
"From this day on, we move forward as one: the proud Imperial citizens of the Galactic Empire. We will always prevail over evil, over those who seek to cause fear. So smile and breathe easy. The Empire has come!" : --Emperor Walker Emperor Walker is a figure shrouded in mystery who rose from Imperial aide on an unknown planet to the Emperor of a galaxy-spanning government second to none in the galactic community. A fully trained Sith Lord, he has also pioneered the Peaceful Jedi/Sith Relations movement. The Early Years Josh Walker was born into a middle-class family in the capital city of Korriban on the world Korribanos. His childhood home sat in the shadow of the Imperial Palace, home to the Emperor of the Royal Imperial House of Korribanos. Walker joined the Korribanosian Security Forces at the age of 18 and entered Korribanosian politics at the age of 22, his maturity and charisma boosting him quickly through the ranks. By the time he was 27 years-old, the Emperor had appointed him his personal aide. The two had a very close relationship, like a father and his son. Walker had lost his father at an early age and so welcomed the relationship. Sometime in his mid-twenties, it is known that Walker married, although the details of the marriage are sketchy at best. The identity of the woman is unknown, though some sources say her name was Olivia. What is known is that the woman died rather suddenly after just a few years of marriage. After her death, those closest to Walker reported a drastic change in the young politician's attitude and demeanor. There were rumors that his wife had had an affair with another man and that Walker had killed them both,using his many contacts to cover the incident up. Though no evidence of such a crime was ever found and no charges were ever brought against him, many thought his political career was over. They were wrong. During his many years of service with the Emperor, he had learned everything about the inner workings of the government. He had developed relationships with every major political player. Most, it would seem, thought very highly of the young man. He was intelligent, polite, and could carry a debate with the best of them. After the death of the Grand Vizier, the Emperor immediately appointed Walker as his replacement. After years of faithful service, he had finally been given official power. Walker served as the Korribanosian Grand Vizier for three years. Now thrust even further into the public spotlight, everything that those in the government saw and liked about him was now exposed to the scrutiny of the entire planet. And they liked him too. Walker's public approval ratings were through the roof. The public saw him as trustworthy, knowledgeable, and likable. When Walker was 34, the Emperor suddenly fell ill and died. Having no heirs and having spent seven years grooming a replacement, there was little argument when Walker was appointed the youngest Emperor Korribanos had ever had. The Rise of an Emperor Joining the Confederacy For centuries, Korribanos had interstellar flight capabilities but had largely kept to themselves. Ruled in the majority by conservative Emperors, Korribanos had remained relatively isolated for most of its history. But the more progressive Walker had different ideas. Upon taking the throne, Walker established the first off-world colony, which he named Ziostos. The initial population was just under ten thousand volunteers, but that number quickly rose. Korribanosians were now officially a two-planet race. Within the first year of his reign, Emperor Walker was approached by a representative from the Confederacy of Independent Systems, a galaxy-spanning alliance of worlds seeking mutual defense and prosperity. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to integrate Korribanos into the galactic community, Walker immediately joined. He struck up and instant friendship with the CIS Chancellor Alfred Si. Before long, the two became very close friends, Chancellor Si often turning to Walker for advice and counsel. Having served in the Korribanosian military, Walker offered his services to the fledgling CIS. Chancellor Si appointed him Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, a rank that saw him admitted into the Security Council just a heartbeat away from the Chancellorship itself. After only months of serving as the CIS Supreme Commander, Walker was faced with his first major crisis, the Xtal Plague of Terra, Schafghanistan. The CIS came through the crisis, if not stronger than wiser. For his actions during the plague, Walker was highly commended and the Chancellor would keep a close eye on his career from that point on. After several more months of service, Walker was given the shock of his life. Chancellor Si promoted him to CIS President, second-in-command of the entire alliance. Honored, Walker vowed to serve the people of the CIS with as much passion and pride as he had as their Supreme Commander. Then, just 3 years after making the decision to join the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Chancellor Si retired and Walker was appointed Chancellor. Supreme Chancellor Walker One of Walker's first acts in office was to rename the office of "Chancellor" to "Supreme Chancellor". He appointed an up-and-coming politician in the CIS, David Jenkins, to be his Vice Chancellor. Upon taking office, Supreme Chancellor Walker began to drastically reform the CIS, which he saw as failing to reach its potential. He saw the Confederacy as weak and unorganized. Together with Vice Chancellor Jenkins, he set out to bring order and stability to the loose alliance of worlds. He immediately increased the Confederacy's authority over its member worlds. He began funding research and development projects and established the Department of Defense Procurement, seeking to build up and strengthen the CIS military. In his vision, the Confederacy would rise as one of the major powers in the community. To that end, he cultivated the relationship between the CIS and the Jedi Order, arguably the most influential organization in the galaxy. He likewise grew very close to the Jedi Grand Master, whom he considered not just his closest ally but his closest friend. Under Walker's new leadership, the CIS exploded into a powerful and well-respected entity. It would seem the Supreme Chancellor's vision would come true. Reorganization and the Founding of an Empire During his service as Supreme Chancellor, Walker, along with his carefully chosen cabinet, had taken an unorganized hodge-podge organization and turned it into a respected and powerful alliance. They were well on their way to becoming a legitimate government, routinely dealing in situations normally restricted to governmental bodies. When a terrorist plot was discovered brewing within the CIS itself, Walker knew it was time for a change. For the next year, he and his Vice Chancellor worked day and night to write a new constitution and lay the groundwork for what would be their greatest achievement to date. When the time was right, Walker began informing his cabinet of the impending reform. Gaining their support had been a major victory for the Supreme Chancellor. Without the cooperation of his officers, his new government would certainly flounder and fail. Once the foundations were set, Walker sent the most nerve-wracking message he'd ever sent in his career: informing the Jedi Grand Master of his intended reform. Much to his relief, the Grand Master was largely supportive of his proposed New Order. And so, with the blessing of the Jedi Order, the Galactic Empire was founded. The Galactic Emperor In the last days of the Confederacy, Walker was faced with a myriad problems. He had underestimated the difficulties in transitioning from an alliance to a fully fledged government. And atop all of that, he had come across a terrorist plot to topple the government before it even had the chance to begin. However, like every other hardship he'd faced in his life, he survived, with the help of the highly competent people had had surrounded himself with. Though a devout follower of the Sith philosophy his entire life, it wasn't until late in life that his Force-sensitivity made itself known. Shortly before the tragic accidental explosion of a transport ship on Korribanos which claimed the lives of dozens of private citizens and leveled a significant portion of a major spaceport, Walker had received a vivid dream of the entire incident. Dismissing it as just a dream, it wasn't until it actually came to pass that he realized it for what it was. He immediately contacted the Jedi Grand Master, seeking his counsel. For years, the two kept the knowledge of the Emperor's Force-sensitivity a secret, fearing the political backlash of a potential Sith Lord commanding yet another Galactic Empire. It wouldn't be until the Killik War that Walker's secret would be made public. An Emperor Alone During the devastation of the Killik War with the Empire, the Killiks established a Dark Nest, Joining with Dark Siders from across the galaxy. Entirely by accident, the Killiks learned of the Emperor's Force-sensitivity. Determined to use any advantage they had, they infiltrated the Korribanos System in a small, one-man fighter piloted by one of these Joiners. He stayed just long enough to familiarize himself with the Emperor's personal Force signature before returing to the Nest and sharing what he'd learned with the rest of the Joiners. They now had a way to track Walker anywhere in the galaxy. During a journey to meet with the High Council aboard the Death Star, Walker's shuttle was ambushed and its escort destroyed. Within minutes, his shuttle was boarded and its crew, including a contingent of Imperial Marines and Walker's personal Royal Guard, were all killed. Walker was taken hostage by a Human Joiner and brought aboard a Killik cruiser bound for the Fortress World to meet with the Queen herself. During his capture, Walker released an experimental nano-weapon in the form of a small cloud of smoke. Though he convinced them that it was merely a diversionary tactic in the event he were captured, it was in fact a cloud of nanites programmed to rewire the Killik brain and cut them off from the Collective. Unbeknownst to them, two Killiks and the Joiner were exposed to the nanites, which immediately went to work altering their brain chemistry. Over the course of the next several days, Emperor Walker was subjected to vicious mental torture at the hands of the Joiner, who used the Force to penetrate his mind and force him to relive the worst moments of his life. When there were no longer enough memories to draw upon, the Joiner began fabricating his own. He showed the Emperor terrible visions of the Imperial Palace crumbling to the ground, of his beloved Korribanos in flames, and of the citizens of the Empire enslaved by the Killiks. Despite the torture, Walker refused to give them what they wanted, maintaining his trademark dry humor through the worst of it. It was many days into his confinement, though he had no way of telling how many, when the Joiner suddenly appeared at his door and bade him to follow. He led the Emperor to an empty room and admitted that since bringing Walker aboard, he had been feeling odd, as though his head were clearing. And suddenly, he claimed, it was gone: the Collective, the Hive sense, everything. He was an individual again, and his name was Ganor Vey. Pleased that the nanite weapon had worked, he explained what had happened to Ganor, and together they devised a way to escape the ship together. Unfortunately, the Killiks aboard the vessel were able to detect Ganor's sudden absence from the Collective. The former Joiner was found out and placed in confinement along with the Emperor. The two were taken to the Hive World, site of the main colony and home to the primary Queen, from whose mind the Collective was organized. She sought to gain the information Walker held through fear of death, threatening him with allowing their Colicoid allies to devour him slowly should he refuse. Instead, the Emperor had a third plan. He convinced Ganor to use the Force to attack the Queen, hoping to use a mind trick that would momentarily confuse the entire Collective. Not yet in full control of his powers, Ganor accidentally ripped the Queen's head off. Though having essentially the same desired effect on the Collective, it immediately set the Hive into a frenzy. The two Humans tore through the Hive, looking desperately for the way out. While catching their breath in a deserted hallway, they found themselves trapped by a single Killik warrior at either end. Resigning themselves to the fact that their lives were about to come to an end, they were surprised when one of the Killiks "spoke" to them through telepathy. Introducing themselves as the two Killik guards who had captured Walker, they demanded to know what had happened to them. Walker explained as he had to Ganor and promised them that if they could help them escape, not only could he provide individuality to the rest of the Killiks, but the Empire would secure them a new home to settle. The Killiks agreed to the terms and led them to a central chamber buried deep beneath the Hive where the Queen's emergency spacecraft was hidden. As they made their escape, the foursome were attacked by a group of Colicoids. Completely unarmed, they once again resigned themselves to the fact that they were about to die. However, Walker urged Ganor to attempt to repel them with the Force. Though new to the practice himself, he nevertheless understood the concept and was confident that he could talk someone through it who had more experience physically utilizing the Force. With tremendous effort, Ganor managed a devastating Lightning attack which decimated the Colicoid warriors, allowing them all to escape in the starship, up through the Hive crumbling down around them, and finally out into space. Upon returning to Imperial space, they immediately handed over the coordinates of the Hive World to the Imperial Armed Forces. A mission was organized which would bring the bulk of the Imperial starfleet to bear all at once on the Hive. The mission, dubbed Operation Hammer Down, was led personally by Walker aboard the Imperial flagship the Light Bringer and spelled the end of the Killik War and the triumph of the Galactic Empire. Darkness Rising The Organization For four years after the devastation of the Killik War, the Empire flourished, enjoying the peace and prosperity that the Emperor had promised to provide. Times were so good, in fact, that the Empire was caught completely unawares by the emergence of a group calling themselves The Organization. Originally believed to be a rogue terrorist group, the hijacking of an Executor-class Star Dreadnaught opened their eyes to the new threat; they were no mere terrorist organization. They were far too coordinated, numerous, and frighteningly well-connected. By the time Walker learned of the hijacking, the Organization was making itself known throughout the Empire. To make matters worse, the Emperor could sense someone very powerful actively blurring the Force, keeping him from finding the answers he sought. Stunningly, it was revealed that Colonel Gregory Miline, a member of Grand Admiral Shane Phillips' inner circle of officers, was secretly a top agent of the Organization. With that realization came the dread that if the Organization could penetrate Imperial ranks to that level and with that efficiency, the Organization could be anyone. The Emperor immediately ordered Korribanosian security tightened, admitting only those whom he knew he could trust into space above the Imperial capital. Assassination Attempt Despite the tightened security, or indeed because of it, an assassin, the traitorous Colonel Miline calling himself "The Commander", managed to sneak into the Imperial Palace under the guise of an Imperial Marine, sent as part of a special team to guard the Emperor himself. As Walker moved down the line of soldiers, introducing himself, he knew the moment he stopped before the man that something was very wrong with the Force surrounding him. The element of surprise now lost, he sprung his attack on the Emperor. Colonel Miline, an undocumented Force-user, reached into his stormtrooper armor and produced a lightsaber. Taking a swing at the Emperor, Walker reacted on instinct, Force-shoving the assailant away and flipping out of the energy blade's range. Now able to get his bearings, he accessed his own lightsaber, kept up his sleeve. He ignited it and both men leapt for one another, their red blades clashing. The battle was intense; Colonel Miline was clearly very talented, more so than the Emperor. It was only Walker's fury at the Organization for undermining everything he'd worked so hard to build, at the assassin attacking him in the heart of his own home, that allowed him to momentarily gain the upper hand. With a well-placed Force-shove, Walker sent The Commander hurtling through his office window, nearly four kilometers off the ground. Believing he had killed the enemy leader and the one who had been dampening the Force, he thought he had bought the Empire time to root out the rest of the Organization with relative ease. He was wrong. Dark Emperor Within hours of the failed assassination attempt, the Organization tapped into official channels and sent out a galaxy-wide report that the Emperor had been killed and that the Imperial military had assumed complete control of the Empire. Walker immediately held a press conference to dispel the false statement but the damage was done. The Empire was in a panic. Furious at this group which had brought the Empire to its knees seemingly out of nowhere, Walker mercilessly followed every lead. He authorized the brutal interrogations of every enemy agent they had discovered, using Force-trained interrogators to rip the information out of the terrorists heads. What was left were simply discarded shells of the men and women they had once been. Not being a brutal man, he took no pleasure in the acts but he simply couldn't afford the time it would take to cultivate the intelligence through standard methods. Category:Imperial Leadership Category:Galactic Empire Category:Sith Category:The Darkness